Infant&#39;s toilet training chair



Dec. 26, 1950 w. R. sNYDER ETAL 2,535,704

INFANTS TOILET TRAINING CHAIR Filed June 16, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 26, 1950 w. R. sNYDER ET AL 2,535,704

INFANTS TOILET TRAINING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1947 Patented Dec. 26 1950 INFANTS TILET TRANING CHAIR William R. Snyder and Morton F. Eaton, Galeton, Pa.

Application June 16, i947, Serial No. 754,938

(Cl. 11G-67) 2 Claims.

Our intention consists in new and useful improvements in an infants toilet training chair, and was designed with the object of making the training period hold some degree of interest for the child while at the same time materially shortening its duration.

The primary object of our invention is to provide a training chair which is equipped with a suitable music box and having means for titably supporting a conventional receptacle beneath the apertured seat of the chair in such a manner as to cause said music box to play a tune immediately upon the accomplishment of the childs mission. Obviously a device of this nature will eliminate in a surprisingly short time the discouraging task of trying to keep a child on the chair for long periods or trying to catch him at just the proper time. 1Furthermore, the device will provide entertainment not only for the baby but for the rest of the family as well and will serve prompt and timely notice when the baby is ready to return to his toys.

As a further object of our invention we have provided a training chair which is not only attractive in appearance and readily moved from place to place, but one which is practically constructed and easily manipulated.

A further object of our invention resides in the arrangement of a receptacle supporting frame or yoke which retains the receptacle snugly against the seat at the front and is so accurately balanced that as little as one-half ounce of liquid deposited in the receptacle will tilt the frame and set the music box into operation. Obviously this device provides a means of rewarding the baby for the accomplishment of his duty and he will soon learn to look forward to the procedure with real eagerness and enthusiasm.

With the above and other objects in vieW which will appear as the description proceeds, our invention consists in the novel features hereinafter set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the tiltable receptacle yoke in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the chair;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail in perspective, illustrating the receptacle supporting yoke or frame; and

Figure 5 is a perspective View of one form of yoke device.

@ur improved toilet training chair consists of a more or less conventional main body structure made up of side members Ei supporting a seat I which provided with the usual aperture 8, a back E on which is mounted atray lil, pivots or screws I I being provided for pivotally supporting the tray. The front side of the chair under the seat 'I is enclosed by a depending apron I2, while the under portion of the rear side of said chair is left open as at I3 to facilitate access to the receptacle as will hereinafter appear.

Beneath the seat 'I we provide a frame or yoke ifi, shown in detail in Figure 4, and consisting of side arms I5 joined at their forward ends by a connecting bar Iii. Inner faces on the rear extremities of the side arms I5 are curved outwardly as at il to ali-ord easy access with a receptacle and their upper faces are recessed as at IS to retain the upper edge or lip of the receptacle. The cross bar lt is likewise provided with a recess IS for the lip of the receptacle and is provided with an indentation 2d on its inner surface to accommodate the periphery of the receptacle when in place.

rlhe frame lli is fulcrumed between the side walls S in any suitable manner, that shown in the drawings being purely for the purpose of illustration. Here it will be seen that a fulcrum plate 2l (see Figure 5) having screw holes 22 and an angularly disposed fulcrum member 23 is screwed to the inner face of each side member 5 a suitable distance below the seat l. The oppositely disposed fulcrurn members 23 project inwardly and engage complementary openings in the side arms l5 of the frame Ill, said openings 212 being located a suitable distance from the rear extremities of the side arms l5 to insure the proper counterbalancing of the frame I4.

Beneath the rear end of one of the side arms l5, we provide a counterbalance 25 which may consist of a block of metal screwed to the side arm I5 and properly weighted with respect to the frame I4 and receptacle 23 when in place in recesses I8 and i9, to cause the yoke or frame I4 to normally tilt with its forward end in upward position to retain the edge of the receptacle snugly against the under side of the seat 'l immediately in line with the aperture 8 in said seat, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

A music box or other signal device 21 is secured to the lower portion of the back 9 immediately above the adjacent side arm I5 of yoke I4 with a depending trip lever 2B extending therefrom in the line of movement of the arm I5. The rear extremity of said arm I5 is preferably provided with a rounded knob or button 29 for direct engagement with the trip lever 28 upon the tilting of the yoke I4. As will be seen from Figure 3, the trip lever 28 is preferably curved to provide a rounded shoulder 30 for engagement with the button 29 so as to facilitate the sensitivity of operation of the music box.

In order to further facilitate the sensitivity of operation, we preferably provide on the opposite side arm I an adjustable weight 3| which is internally threaded to engage complementary threads on a supporting member 32 secured to the under side of the arm I5. Thus by adjusting the position of the weight 3l on member 32 the device may be regulated to the desired degree.

It is believed that the operation of this device will be apparent. The normal position of the tiltable frame lf3 and receptacle 26 is as shown inFigure 3 with the forward end of the frame 4tilted'upwardly, forcing the forward edge of the receptacle snugly against the under surface of the seat 'I immediately beneath the aperture 8, the button 29 on the rear end of the frame I 4 engaging the shoulder 38 on trip lever 28 toretain the music box mechanism in inoperative position. The child is placed upon the seat l in the usual manner and as soon as sufficient weight is deposited in the receptacle 26 to overcome the counterbalancing effect of weights and 3l the frame I4 tilts downwardly upon the pivots 23, causing the rear end of said arm I5 to move upwardly, thus releasing the trip lever 2B and setting the music box into operation.

It will be noted that the adjustable weight 3! affords an added advantage in the use of this device in that it permits the adjustment of the fulcrumed frame i4 during the course of operation, so to speak. In other words, if the child has partially accomplished his mission suincient to set the music box into operation, but it is felt that he has failed to completely finish such mission, the weights 3i may be adjusted to cause the frame I4 to resume its original position, shutting oi the music box until further weight is added to the receptacle 26. When it is desired to remove the receptacle upon the completion of its function, the receptacle is lifted from the recesses I8 and I9 and withdrawn through the opening I3 in the rear of the chair, the rounded edges I'I at the rear of the frame Id facilitating the insertion and removal of the receptacle.

From the foregoing it is believed that the objects, advantages, and operation of our improved infants toilet training seat may be readily under-V stood byV those skilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous 4 changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as set out in the appended claims.

For example, while we have shown and described a chair having an overhead swinging tray, it may be desirable to provide a tray which swings horizontally from one of the side members 6. Furthermore, although we have shown a conventional Swiss music box, it may be desirable to employ some different type of signal and the overall design of the chair may be varied to suit demand.

We claim:

1. An infants toilet training chair comprising a main body structure having side walls and an apertured seat member therebetween, a frame beneath said seat member, removably supporting a toilet receptacle directly in line with the aperture of said seat member, fulcrum members supporting said frame between said side walls and arranged to normally balance the frame when said receptacle is in place therein, a signal device, and an abutment on said frame movable by the overbalancing and tilting thereof to actuate said signal device.

2. An infants toilet training chair comprising a main body structure having side walls and an apertured seat member therebetween, a substant ally U-shaped frame beneath said seat meinber, fulcrum members supporting said frame between said side walls, recesses in said frame removably supporting a receptacle directly in line with the aperture of said seat member, counterbalance means on said frame normally tilting the latter in a position causing the forward edge of said receptacle to snugly engage the under surface of said seat member, a music box adjacent the rear extremity of said frame, and means con- A trolled by the tilting of said frame in the opposite direction, upon application of weight to said receptacle for actuating said music box.

WILLIAM R. SNYDER. MORTON F. EATON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

